Climate: coal could reach new records in 2022, warns the AIE comments

The request for coal, the leading source of CO2 emissions, could reach new historical records in 2022 after a sharp increase this year, warned the International Energy Agency (AIE) Friday.

After a fall in 2019 and 2020, the production of coal -based electricity should bounce 9% this year, to reach a new historic record (10.350 TWh), says the Parisian agency in a report.

This rebound was caused by the global economic recovery, too fast to be fueled by the only sources of low carbon energy, as well as by the high gas prices - which make coal more competitive economically.

The total demand for coal (including not only electricity but also production of cement, steel, etc.) should increase by 6% this year, according to the AIE calculations.

It will still be lower than the record levels of 2013 and 2014 but the latter could soon be exceeded.

"According to weather and economic growth, the total demand for coal could reach new records in 2022 and stay at these levels in the following two years, stressing the need for rapid and strong political actions," alerts the AIE.

Without these measures "to lower charcoal emissions - in a fair, affordable and safe way for those concerned - we will have little chance, or even any, to limit warming to 1.5 ° C», Warns Fatih Birol, the executive director of the AIE.

The coal market is dominated by Asia, with India and China with two-thirds of global demand.

"The commitment to the carbon neutrality of many countries - including China and India - should have very strong implications for coal," said Keisuke Sadamori, an AIE in a press release."But this is not yet visible in our short-term forecasts, reflecting the enormous gap between ambitions and action," he regrets.

During COP 26 of Glasgow on the climate in November, coal was explicitly designated as one of the main managers of climate change.But India and China managed at the last moment to mitigate the final formulation of the objective in "reduction" instead of "exit" of coal.

China and India will have to "explain it" on this decision, said the president of COP26, Alok Sharma.

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